Britain’s foreign secretary said on Tuesday (20 January) he was confident of negotiating a “substantial” package of reforms in the European Union after visiting capitals across the region and being told by EU members that they want Britain to stay in the bloc.

Prime Minister David Cameron has promised to renegotiate Britain’s ties with the EU ahead of a referendum on its membership if his Conservative party is reelected in a national vote in May.

Philip Hammond, who took up his post last summer, has been tasked with touring all 27 other member states before that election to seek common ground on areas Britain would like to see changed such as handing more power back to national parliaments and making the EU more economically competitive.

So far he has visited 18, including France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania and Denmark.

“Now that I have embarked upon the exercise that I am doing … I am very clear that we will be able to negotiate a substantial package of reform,” Hammond, regarded as a tough Eurosceptic, told a committee of British lawmakers.

Selfish Europeans

“The message I have heard very, very clearly is that people for their own selfish reasons want Britain in … we are an important element in a very delicate balance of power within the European Union and, for different reasons, everybody fears the consequences of Britain leaving.”

He said Britain was aiming for a package of reforms that could be agreed by all 28 member nations but that the bloc had previously shown that it could be “quite a flexible organisation”.

With immigration a top concern among voters, Cameron has made controlling the flow of EU citizens a central part of the renegotiation effort. EU leaders including Germany’s Angela Merkel have said the bloc’s fundamental principle of freedom of movement cannot be tampered with.

Cameron has pledged to curb EU migrants’ access to welfare payments, and Hammond said many European partners had asked Britain to look at what more it could do domestically to tackle abuse of free movement by tightening up its own system.

“We are wide open to abuse … There are going to be more measures we can introduce,” he said.

“But there will be some areas where we need agreement … to change the way European Union rules work if we are going to have a sufficient impact on migration numbers to satisfy (the) British public.”

Background

UK Prime Minister David Cameron promised to offer Britons a simple ‘in-out’ referendum on whether to stay in the European Union if he wins the next election in 2015.

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More blathering bullshit from the Tory-vermins. Only vague statements “reform” not even an indication of what reform they want – Hammond a super-tanker of an empty vessel amongst a fleet of equally empty UK tory-vermin politicos – don’t worry boys – come the election you will be out & good riddance to you.

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Joe Thorpe

21/01/2015 17:06

Hammond says what he think & follows up with deeds, the EU just like Russia or anyone else can take him at his word

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Gerry

22/01/2015 08:58

What people don’t like is a disturbance to the status quo, and that is the kind of upset a Brexit would cause.
What is important in Europe is to find a road away from neo-liberal austerity and a new acceptance of leftist policies, so as to support the working class people who have been wrung out and dried to pay for the elite’s mistakes. Britain and its conservatives are of no help here.

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annestgeorgeuk

22/01/2015 11:50

Every body was fearful of the last War-yet we had to fight it for all in this Country to be FREE from foreign rule. There is time for a REFERENDUM on the EU before the General Election-it is up to this Government to decide whether to allow a referendum or not, and sadly I doubt many people believe the Conservative would get into Government again to hold a referendum afterwards. I rather suspect UKIP will be our New Government especially if most of the people want freedom from foreign rule.

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Joe Thorpe

22/01/2015 12:03

There is no governing majority to get a referendum through the house, LibDems are against it, SNP are against it, Labour are against it & Plaid Cymru are against it & come to think of it the Green is against it too. The only way to get a referendum id a majority conservative parliament. If they can only form a coalition government after the next election there will still wont be a referendum. The Conservatives aren’t afraid of democracy at work as was proved with the Scottish referendum.

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an european

22/01/2015 16:58

I fear ? No !

As an simplistic European I want an United Europe based on shared federal Power for freedom and equality and NOT anymore an nationalistic egoistic one where we have today bunch of healthcare cuts in extremus and inequalities, jobless and unrecoverable economy !!

When Britain will leave then Scots will join us !

El Pluribus Unum

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Joe Thorpe

22/01/2015 17:47

Good luck on that one. Scotland needs money from either the EU or London to pay its bills. The combined UK pays nett over £11 Billion into the EU pot with the figures increasing year on year

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annestgeorgeuk

23/01/2015 13:32

Everyone does NOT fear the consequences of Britain leaving the EU’. Did everyone FEAR fighting in that last WAR for that same FREEDOM from foreign Rule? Some people vote for you Mr Hammond to Govern this Country the only way it should be governed, which is by and through our very own Common Law Constitution. The people were deliberately lied to by a Prime Minister when he said before that REFERENDUM (1975), that “There would be no loss of essential Sovereignty” if the people voted to remain in the then EEC. And look at us now. The great desire by… Read more »